Meet our staff in the U.S. and Latin America who handle EcoLogic’s day-to-day operations, working with our local partners and communities to implement the projects we support and identifying new opportunities for us to pursue.

EcoLogic Staff - 2011

U.S. Staff

Barbara Vallarino, Interim Executive Director
Bryan Foster, CarbonPlus Program Director
Melissa Haley, Director of Finance and Administration
David Kramer, Senior Program Officer for Institutional Development
Katie O'Gara, Development Associate
Rebecca Oliver, Program Officer for Online Giving
Chris Patterson, Program Officer for Institutional Development
Laura Powell, Operations Associate
Gina Rindfleisch, Program Officer for Individual Giving
Sam Schofield, Program Associate
Lee Shane, Communications Officer

Regional Staff

Gabriela González Garcia, Regional Director
Marco Acevedo, Program Officer for Mexico
Yaira Allois Pino, Program Officer for Panama
Elda Maldonado, Program Officer for Honduras
Rodrigo Morales, Regional Project officer
Mario Tuch, Financial-Administrative Officer
Francisco Tzul, Program Officer for Guatemala
 

Barbara Vallarino, Interim Executive Director

Barbara serves as interim executive director for EcoLogic and reports directly to the board of directors. A member of the EcoLogic team since 2004, Barbara has played a variety of fundraising and program development roles, most recently serving as director of development managing the organization’s fundraising efforts. Prior to joining EcoLogic, she completed the Hydropower Reform Fellowship at American Rivers in Seattle, Washington which focused on promoting meaningful citizen participation in the licensing of non-federal hydropower projects. Barbara has been passionately involved in tropical conservation work since her early teens when she conducted water quality sampling and analysis as a volunteer research assistant for  the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) monitoring the Panama Canal watershed, and she also wrote fundraising proposals for Panama’s National Association for the Conservation of Nature (ANCON).  Barbara holds a Juris Doctor with a concentration in Environmental Law from the University of Washington, and is a member of the Washington State Bar Association as well as its Environmental and Land Use Law section. She holds a BA cum laude inenvironmental earth science and anthropology from Dartmouth College. Barbara grew up in Panama City, Panama, and is fluent in Spanish and English, and proficient in French.

Bryan Foster, CarbonPlus Program Director

Bryan is responsible for the development of EcoLogic's forestry-based carbon projects. He has both academic training in forest science and professional skills in forest carbon validation and verification. His studies have focused on the ecological and economic implications of forest management: he earned an MS in forest science from the Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, a certificate in ecological economics from the Gund Institute, and a PhD in natural resources from the Rubenstein School at the University of Vermont. His published journal articles include "An exploratory, post-harvest comparison of ecological and economic characteristics of FSC certified and non-certified northern hardwood stands" and "Implementing sustainable forestry using six concepts in an adaptive management framework." On the professional side, Bryan received specialized training and worked for five years as an auditor for the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System, the ISO 14064 Greenhouse Gas Inventory, and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). He previously worked for the Rainforest Alliance, an accredited CCB validator and Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS) verifier, as a technical specialist to develop their international climate change initiative.

Melissa Haley, Director of Finance and Administration

Melissa provides operational support to EcoLogic's Cambridge headquarters and field offices. She also leads budgeting and financial management activities. Prior to joining EcoLogic, Melissa worked as project and financial manager at a foreign language translation company. She holds a BA in international politics and economics and Russian language and literature from Middlebury College. She is fluent in Russian and proficient in Spanish and French, and is currently pursuing an MBA from Babson College.

David Kramer, Senior Program Officer for Institutional Development

David researches and authors EcoLogic's proposals and reports to institutional funders. He also helps coordinate staff and partners in EcoLogic's participatory project design and evaluation. Prior to joining EcoLogic, as a teaching fellow for Citizen Schools David taught Boston-area eighth graders while also writing curriculum guides for the film company, Walden Media. He has also worked as a classroom and outdoor educator in Cali, Colombia. David earned a masters in public policy from the Kennedy School at Harvard University, a certificate in outdoor leadership from Greenfield Community College, and a BA in English from Dartmouth College.  He is fluent in Spanish and is a Switzer Environmental Fellow.

Katie O'Gara, Development Associate

Katie works with the individual giving team to increase EcoLogic's outreach. She primarily works on the Ambassador Campaign, organizes EcoLogic events, and coordinates corporate collaborations. Katie comes to EcoLogic with a background in environmental policy, history, and ethics as well as international development. In addition, she created a reusable water bottle initiative at Villanova University and she spent a few months living and volunteering in Costa Rica. Katie holds a BA in environmental studies from Villanova University. She is proficient in Spanish.

Rebecca Oliver, Program Officer for Online Giving

Rebecca, as part of the development team, creates online outreach campaigns and increases EcoLogic’s online presence in social media. Prior to joining EcoLogic she worked in the field of fundraising and online development at both the Epilepsy Foundation and Dartmouth Medical School. She received her MA in political science focusing on the effectiveness of social media from Miami University of Ohio.

Chris Patterson, Program Officer for Institutional Development

Chris collaborates closely with the senior program officer by writing grant proposals and project reports, investigating potential funders, and following trends in philanthropy, conservation, and international development. Prior to joining EcoLogic's team, he was a researcher and community organizer for Service Employees International Union, working to support janitorial workers in Central Massachusetts. While earning an MA in international development and social change at Clark University, Chris was a fellow for the Ford Foundation's Difficult Dialogues Project and managed environmental research grants at the George Perkins Marsh Institute, conducting fieldwork himself in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. He received a BA in international studies from Texas A&M University, is proficient in Spanish, and has driven across the United States in his car that runs on used vegetable oil.

Laura Powell, Operations Associate

As the operations associate, Laura provides support to both the director of finance and administration and the communications officer, assisting with finances, budgeting, and external communications. Prior to joining EcoLogic, Laura interned at the Boston Living Center, a community and resource organization for people living with HIV/AIDS, and also at the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, an independent state agency dedicated to the advancement of women in the Commonwealth. For the Boston Living Center she often created and translated documents in English and Spanish, and at both organizations she provided logistical and fundraising support, undertook special events planning, and developed and wrote publicity materials. Laura earned a BA in Spanish at Wellesley College, has lived in Argentina, and is fluent in the Spanish language.

Gina Rindfleisch, Program Officer for Individual Giving

Gina manages EcoLogic's fundraising activities targeting individual donations. Prior to joining EcoLogic, Gina worked as the outreach coordinator and executive assistant for the Massachusetts Environmental Trust, a quasi-state entity that funds projects on water and water-related issues in Massachusetts. She served for two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nicaragua working in environmental education. She holds a BA in environmental studies from Long Island University and is working part-time toward her master's degree in environmental policy and management. She is proficient in Spanish.

Sam Schofield, Program Associate

Sam provides support to the institutional development team including the drafting of grant proposals, letters of inquiry, and reports to institutional funders. He also provides general administrative support to the Cambridge office and serves as the staff liaison to the Board of Directors. Prior to joining EcoLogic, Sam worked in sales for an international education company in the Boston area. He holds a BA in international affairs and geography from the University of New Hampshire is proficient in Spanish, and has a basic working knowledge of Portuguese. Sam has lived in Spain and also spent time in Belize, Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala.

Lee Shane, Communications Officer

Lee is responsible for the development and implementation of EcoLogic’s communications strategy. She has broad experience in the communications field both in the United States and Central America. Prior to her arrival at EcoLogic, Lee worked in Honduras as a communications strategist and the senior writer at Zamorano University. She also traveled for most of a year in Central America and parts of South America compiling research and interviews for a book on environmentalists while also undertaking select projects for clients such as the Central American Commission on Environment and Development (CCAD). Her past experience includes working as a writer for a public policy firm, and as a researcher and rights clearance specialist for WBGH, public television in Boston. Lee earned a BA from Oberlin College and an MFA in film production from York University in Canada. She is fluent in Spanish, speaks some Japanese and French, and has lived abroad in Spain, England, Japan, Canada, and Honduras.

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Regional Staff

Gabriela González Garcia, Regional Director

Gabriela is the director of programs within EcoLogic’s regional office in Guatemala. She manages EcoLogic’s project portfolio in Guatemala, Belize, Panama, Honduras, and Mexico. Gabriela earned her undergraduate degree in business administration and her MBA from the Universidad Rafael Landivar of Guatemala where she subsequently served as the director of finance and administration for seven years. Gaby has also completed executive education courses at Harvard University, Columbia University, and the University of Chicago. She has extensive experience in managing non-profit organizations and a diverse professional background that includes experience in academic coordination, human resources, planning, auditing, and marketing. She speaks fluent Spanish and English.

Marco Acevedo, Program Officer for Mexico

Marco works on EcoLogic's projects in Mexico. He has direct experience in preparation, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of environmental conservation and rural development projects in Mexico, including some financed by UNDP-GEF and IDB-MIF. He most recently worked at the “Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda” - an alliance of civil society organizations which contribute to sustainable management of the Sierra Gorda Reserve – where he was in charge of overseeing the implementation of eight projects. Marco holds a master’s degree in rural development from the “Colegio de Estudios Posgrados” near Mexico. He speaks fluent Spanish and English.

Yaira Allois Pino, Program Officer for Panama

Yaira is from Santiago de Veraguas, Panama. She works on EcoLogic's projects with our partner organizations in that country. Her last position was coordinating the Strengthening Project of the subcommittees of the upper region of the Santa Maria Watershed, an important drainage basin in Panama. She also has experience working as a facilitator of Rural Participatory Diagnoses used for Municipal Development Plans. She has studied industrial engineering and is working on her thesis for a masters in environmental management.

Elda Maldonado, Program Officer for Honduras

Elda is a trained forestry engineer who comes to EcoLogic with extensive experience coordinating watershed management projects throughout Honduras, having worked at the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SERNA) as the General Director of Biodiversity, and also as the lead coordinator for the National Project on the Mesoamerican Reef System. During her tenure with the Honduran government, she helped design and manage programs in Pico Bonito National Park, Yoro Mountain National Park, the Forest of San Francisco, the Turrialba Volcano, and other important protected areas. Elda earned her undergraduate degree from the Atlantic Branch of the Honduran National University (CURLA) in La Ceiba and her MS in Rainforest Conservation and Management with an emphasis in Biodiversity Conservation from the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center, better known as CATIE, in Costa Rica.

Rodrigo Morales, Regional Project Officer

A conservation biologist with particular expertise in protected areas monitoring and management, Rodrigo works to ensure that a sound scientific and technical basis informs EcoLogic’s work. Collaborating closely with EcoLogic’s country program officers, Rodrigo helps to identify potential project sites, gather baseline data, design and create proposals, and develop and implement monitoring and evaluation plans. He earned a degree in biology from the University del Valle in Guatemala, completing a thesis sponsored by Guatemala’s national forest institute (INAB) evaluating populations and threats to blue land crabs (Cardisoma crassum) in two coastal communities on the Pacific coast of Guatemala. For four years he worked for the National Council of Protected Areas (CONAP) ultimately serving as section chief of the National Protected Areas System (SIGAP), and he has also consulted for a variety of local and international environmental organizations including The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, Fundación Mario Dary in Guatemala, and the Montecarlo Verde Foundation. In the fall of 2010 prior to joining EcoLogic, Rodrigo completed a six-week intensive training in Okinawa, Japan sponsored by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) that focused on environmental education methods and innovative approaches to the sustainable management and conservation of coastal marine resources. Rodrigo is fluent in Spanish and proficient in English.

Mario Tuch, Financial-Administrative Officer

Mario works in the financial and administrative area in the regional office in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, providing support to the regional director and the regional program director. He comes to EcoLogic with more than 13 years of experience as a certified public accountant.

Francisco Tzul, Program Officer for Guatemala

Francisco provides technical assistance to EcoLogic’s Guatemalan partner organizations. He is from the western highlands of Guatemala and has an agricultural engineering degree focused on systems of production. Prior to coming to EcoLogic, Francisco worked for the Guatemalan government as well as several local and international organizations, including World Neighbors and the European Union. He enjoys working directly with people and looks forward to developing new ways to support EcoLogic’s partners in Guatemala. He speaks Spanish and Maya Quiché.

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Staff Spotlight: Gabriela González

“It moved my heart,” says Regional Program Director Gabriela “Gaby” González about a site visit she made shortly after joining EcoLogic, in October 2010. “We went to a remote village a few hours from Livingston, Guatemala. EcoLogic had just started helping the people build a nursery for guama (Inga edulis) trees to increase their crop yields.* After hiking for a couple of hours, we arrived at a village in the jungle. It was preciosa—a place full of natural beauty. We were quickly surrounded by young children. I remarked to one, ‘What beautiful land you have,’ and he said back to me, ‘Yes, but without a future.’”

Born in Quetzaltenango (or Xela), Guatemala, and raised by parents with an abiding love for trees and natural places, Gaby grew up with an understanding that “you have to give back to the world.” She earned undergraduate and master’s degrees in business administration from Rafael Landivar University in Quetzaltenango and then worked at the university for seven years as the director of finance and administration. Her brother, who works for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), told her of an opening at EcoLogic, “an American environmental nonprofit that was known for respecting people.”

As the regional program director for EcoLogic, Gaby appreciates working at an organization that “strikes a balance between helping people and protecting the natural world.” Almost a year after the site visit to Northern Guatemala, she reports that the guama trees have grown to saplings and the people are transplanting them with this season’s crops. “I realized during the visit that by helping families grow enough food for both the table and to sell for additional income, EcoLogic helps give children hope. That’s an important part of our mission: helping people believe that there can be a better future.”

* An agriculture technique known as agroforestry or intercropping uses certain tree species, such as guama (Inga) and Andean alder (Alnus) to help food crops grow without chemical fertilizers by fixing nitrogen and providing leaf litter to enrich the soil. These species also thrive with heavy pruning and so provide a fuel wood crop as well.